And To All A Good Night!
by jekkah
Summary: Bobby helps to cheer up a depressed Alex at Christmas time and gains the greatest present of all.


_Author's Note: Happy Holidays to everyone who still reads LOCI fic! Thank you for welcoming me into this writing fandom, even though I've come very late. Enjoy!_

 **And To All A Good Night!**

Alex sighed as she watched several more of her co-workers laughing as they headed off for the night. It was Christmas Eve and instead of joining in the revelry as she normally did, she was sitting at her desk feeling sorry for herself. Alex sighed again as she admonished herself for feeling that way. Sure, her family was not together as normal for the holidays, but it wasn't as if she hadn't been asked to attend their festivities. Her sister and her family were off to Maine to spend time with her brother-in-law's family, a rare treat, and if Alex tagged along, it would only distract her nephew, Liam, from the other side of his family.

Her older brother, who had custody of his kids on New Year's this year, was taking their father to visit their aunt, but Alex had not been a fan of that particular aunt ever since she was eight and her aunt told her that she could never be a cop, but was welcome to be the wife and mother of one. Alex had kicked her in the ankles and spent the rest of that visit in a time out.

As for her younger brother and the girls, they were off to Pennsylvania to visit his girlfriend's family. His girlfriend had two children of her own and this was a test run to see if they could blend the two families. Alex was really hoping so because she loved Heather and her kids. But as with her sister, Alex's presence would only be a deterrent to her nieces fulling embracing themselves in their possible new family.

So, here she was, sitting at work, facing a lonely Christmas. She had even offered to work, but since she had gotten stuck with Thanksgiving, Hannah refused to let her work Christmas, too. A few more jolly detectives passed by and Alex laid her head down on the desk, rolling it back and forth.

"Eames?" Bobby asked, standing next to her chair. He leaned down when she didn't answer. "Everything okay?"

She paused and turned towards him, keeping her head down. "Everything's fine."

He seemed to take that on face value and sat at his desk. "So, uh, what are your plans for the holidays?"

"Sweats, tequila, and the couch," Alex admitted, wiping the hair from her face as she looked at him.

"What?" Bobby laughed. "No big Eames family get together? No getting up with Liam on Christmas morning and opening gifts from Santa?"

Alex glanced away. "Nope. I'm all alone this year. Everyone had plans out of town and it was just better if I didn't go along with any of them." She waved off his concern. "Long story."

Frowning, Bobby looked down in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"What about you? Got yourself a sweet elf to cuddle up with?"

"No," he responded with a bit of wistfulness. His eyes took on a slight faraway look. "Nothing like that this year."

Alex opened her mouth to say more, but was stopped when Captain Hannah appeared at her desk. "I thought that I told you both that you weren't working Christmas. Get out of here."

Unable to protest, Alex stood and put her coat on. She attempted to drag her feet, but a glare from her boss had her waving good-bye to Bobby and rushing out the door. Grabbing Chinese on her way home, Alex settled onto her couch in her sweats, under a blanket, a bottle of tequila next to her, just as she had told Bobby. She had just gotten a nice buzz going when her doorbell rang.

"Please tell me that we don't have a case," Alex whined when she opened the door to her partner. "I was told we Christmas off and I've already started drinking, which means that I am in no position to go out looking at dead bodies."

"Uh, no," Bobby told her, following her into her apartment. He had just a hint of amusement in his tone. Bobby glanced around the living room, founding nothing decorated. His face fell just a bit as her apartment was usually dressed to the nines for the holiday. He blushed when he realized she was staring at him. "What?"

She sighed. "I was going to ask you the same thing, but I'm pretty sure that I can guess. So, I didn't decorate for Christmas this year. So, I'm drinking tequila all alone. So, I'm all alone, no family, no love. Just old maid Alex Eames. So what?"

Bobby froze, unsure of what to say or do without setting her off again. "I-I-"

"I'm sorry, Bobby." Alex flopped down on the couch. "That wasn't fair to you. I'm just… having a rough time, I guess."

"So, what's going on?" he asked, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch.

She shrugged. "This… just isn't where I thought I would be in life, alone, no family of my own. We had planned on having kids, you know – Joe and I. It was always one of those 'one day' things. I knew we would only have one or two; we were both too focused on our careers, but I really thought I would have them. But here I am, facing down fifty-"

Bobby glared at her. "You're barely forty."

"No prospects-"

"How very 'Pride and Prejudice'."

"Nobody wants me," she continued. "I can't tell you the last time that I had a date, let alone any activity that would lead to children. My life is basically over. I'm going to be 'poor Aunt Alex' for the rest of my life, the one that you invite over because you have to, not because you want to. You want to know why I'm sitting here drinking tequila on Christmas Eve all alone? Because I have nothing better to do." Alex covered her face with her hands. "I just scared the hell out of you, didn't I?"

Shifting in his seat, Bobby removed her hands from her face and held them. "No. But I think you're scaring yourself without reason."

Alex's jaw dropped. "Without reason? I just explained all the reasons!"

"You're not too old to have kids. Even if it turns out that you can't have them yourself, there's adoption, surrogacy, IVF, all kinds of different options. And you could never be 'poor Aunt Alex' to any of your nieces and nephews. Those kids adore you! Especially Liam. I can't imagine a time when he wouldn't want you around."

Dropping her head, she conceded his point about her nieces and nephews. "What about the first thing, Bobby? Got an answer to no one wanting me?"

"Alex," he whispered. He waited until she raised her head and met his eyes, gasping at what she saw in them. "Someone has been wanting you for the last eleven years. Someone just didn't think that he deserved you. But if there's a chance that you might want me back..."

"A chance?" Alex croaked. She released his hands and climbed onto his lap, looping her arms around his neck. "Bobby, I've wanted you for years; I just never thought you felt the same."

Bobby's hands went to her waist, holding tight. "Always. I think I fell in love with you the moment that I laid eyes on you. I knew it was true love the first time that you yelled at me."

Alex laughed. "I yelled at you about five minutes after we met."

"Exactly," he chuckled in agreement. "I-"

He was cut off suddenly when Alex's lips collided with his. Their passions ignited and soon they were attacking each other with vigor. By the time she pulled back, they were both panting heavily. "Sorry, I just couldn't go another minute without doing that."

Grinning, Bobby lay his forehead against hers. "You're welcome to do that anytime."

"You know," Alex nibbled on her lip, shyly, "that kids are part of this deal."

"There is no one in this world that I would want to have kids with other than you," he replied, earnestly. "I just hope they have your smile and your hair and your mental health."

She shook her head with a smile before kissing just below his ear. "With your eyes and your intelligence and your heart."

Blushing, Bobby placed feather-like kisses across her jaw. "What if we have to adopt?"

"Then, I hope they have your heart and your intelligence and someone else's eyes."

"I want to marry you," he admitted, his voice small.

Alex smiled brightly. "I want to marry you, too. But for now, you know what I'd really like to do?"

Distracted by her hands running up and down his chest, he took a moment to answer. "What?"

"I'd really, really like to unwrap my Christmas present." She scrambled off of him and headed towards the doorway to the hall. "Are you coming, Present?"

"I will be soon!" Bobby exclaimed as he chased her down the hall.

THE END


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